How much do you tip a guide?

[Deleted account]

8 hours ago, Choporoz said:

After hearing stories of guys paying 150 for striper trips that fished for 40 minutes,  I said 'no thanks'.  It has been decades since I was last on charter, but on those trips, if you limit out, they go fish for something else to finish your half or full day.  If I just want Rockfish, I'll go to Safeway.  I want to fish.

Most Chesapeake rockfish (striped bass) charters are "catch your limit and go home". Would not fly up in NY and NJ, or most other places, where full day or half day are the norm. 

[snake95]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Tip what you feel the trip was worth. I've had everything from nothing to an extra $100 from both people. I get paid well when I guide, but I also work hard to put people on fish. I'm not going to be mad at a person either way. 

Thanks Bluebasser and everyone who replied and got into this interesting conversation.

Our guide for this trip was a one man operator with a plan:

1. Put us on the easy fish. 2. Go for something bigger. 3. If it was clear we were up for it, do something more advanced.

He did all 3. 

This was all on a spur of the moment last minute request where we took over from a bunch of guys that bailed out on the guide.

It was just my son and I, and we had a super trip.  We were a little late and he rolled with it.

We caught some species that were edible, and he cleaned and vacuum packed them quickly.

The guy truly worked hard, and put us on fish and then some.

 

I gladly handed him the extra crisp $100 - I simply answered my own question in the end.  The man earned extra and I paid him for the extra.

[Bluebasser86]

2 minutes ago, snake95 said:

Thanks Bluebasser and everyone who replied and got into this interesting conversation.

Our guide for this trip was a one man operator with a plan:

1. Put us on the easy fish. 2. Go for something bigger. 3. If it was clear we were up for it, do something more advanced.

He did all 3. 

This was all on a spur of the moment last minute request where we took over from a bunch of guys that bailed out on the guide.

It was just my son and I, and we had a super trip.  We were a little late and he rolled with it.

We caught some species that were edible, and he cleaned and vacuum packed them quickly.

The guy truly worked hard, and put us on fish and then some.

 

I gladly handed him the extra crisp $100 - I simply answered my own question in the end.  The man earned extra and I paid him for the extra.

I promise he appreciated it. My last trip was a guided shore fishing trips for shark. My guide worked hard for 4 hours, walking baits out into the ocean, in the dark, changing them frequently, telling good stories and his wife even took time to take my boys and wife crab hunting down the beach. At the end of our 4 hours, we never had a bite. I still tipped the man $100, because he worked his backside off and did things I'd never do myself and provided me with the gear and the chance at the fish I wanted to catch, that's all I could ask him to do, it wasn't his fault they didn't cooperate. He refused my tip at first but I told him I've had some horrible trips on my boat, it's a terrible feeling and I knew he probably felt way worse than I did. Part of targeting big fish, it isn't going to happen every trip and I was just unfortunate to have been on one of those nights.  

[DitchPanda]

 I've only ever hired a guide on a few ice fishing trips..same guy twice and I tipped him well because he deserved it. One year we killed em the next year I'm not sure if we even brought any home after our fish fry cuz the bite sucked. Tipped him the same both times.

 For me the fish catching part while nice is indeed unimportant as long as the guide does everything he can and I still enjoy the experience. Buddy told me a story about a guy he hired once...said he absolutely smashed the fish. Said oh sounds like a good time...he said no the guy was a pissy unpersonable jackass the entire time. Needless to say even with the success there was no tip.

 

[Zcoker]

On 7/11/2022 at 9:20 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

I promise he appreciated it. My last trip was a guided shore fishing trips for shark. My guide worked hard for 4 hours, walking baits out into the ocean, in the dark, changing them frequently, telling good stories and his wife even took time to take my boys and wife crab hunting down the beach. At the end of our 4 hours, we never had a bite. I still tipped the man $100, because he worked his backside off and did things I'd never do myself and provided me with the gear and the chance at the fish I wanted to catch, that's all I could ask him to do, it wasn't his fault they didn't cooperate. He refused my tip at first but I told him I've had some horrible trips on my boat, it's a terrible feeling and I knew he probably felt way worse than I did. Part of targeting big fish, it isn't going to happen every trip and I was just unfortunate to have been on one of those nights.  

 

That's great to hear and respected. I do a lot of land based shark fishing here in S. Florida, tagging sharks for NOAA and sometimes it can be dead quiet without a tick. Glad you appreciate the hard work that goes into setting up a land based sharking gig, yaking baits out at night and so forth. Lotta work! 

[Cyclones]

Interesting to see this topic come up.  Had a 4 hour guided trip on Lake Taneycomo this week for trout.  Caught plenty, but only left a $50 tip.  Had a great time, but we literally were never more than a 1/4 mile from the marina so I guess I didn’t feel like anything bigger was warranted.  I’d hire the same guide again, but ask to go elsewhere.  
 

saw a post on FB the day after about another Branson guide, took his client on Table Rock and the client (it was his own post on a Branson FB page) admitted to forgetting to tip.  He said he contacted the guide later in the day to give him the tip and he told him to “pound sand” and even deleted all the pics from the trip so the client wouldn’t have any.   I see stuff like that and it makes me wonder if my guide was ticked at my $50 tip

[NYWayfarer]

On vacation the July 4th weekend I booked a trip with a guide out of Orlando Florida to take me, my son and a friend Bass fishing. 
 

The Guide had a no fish, no pay policy and picked us up at the Disney resort we were staying at. Trip was $400 for 4 hours. Our guide was friendly and worked hard to get us on fish. I tipped him $80 at trips end.

 

We caught about 20 Bass in the 2-3lb range. 
 

My father would book Smallmouth Bass guided fishing trips for us every year. He always tipped no matter what we caught. Some years were better than other. We never got skunked.

[TOXIC]

On 7/16/2022 at 6:40 PM, Cyclones said:

Had a great time, but we literally were never more than a 1/4 mile from the marina so I guess I didn’t feel like anything bigger was warranted.

So did you book a fishing trip or a boat tour? ? Your comment made me chuckle because I had  many Crappie trips where I never started the big motor.  Across from my sponsoring marina and launch was a huge private dock complex that held lots of Crappie.  I could literally rig rods while I was on the trolling motor and be ready to fish by the time we got over there.  I will say that after clients caught a limit, I would offer to run them up lake to fish bridge pilings and brush piles if they wanted to go.  

[Cyclones]

29 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

So did you book a fishing trip or a boat tour? ? Your comment made me chuckle because I had  many Crappie trips where I never started the big motor.  Across from my sponsoring marina and launch was a huge private dock complex that held lots of Crappie.  I could literally rig rods while I was on the trolling motor and be ready to fish by the time we got over there.  I will say that after clients caught a limit, I would offer to run them up lake to fish bridge pilings and brush piles if they wanted to go.  

Fishing trip.  And as I said, I enjoyed it, I’d hire him again.  I just struggle with the tip thing.  Wouldn’t even have been an issue if another guide from that same marina hadn’t had the fit over a tip the same day I was out there.  Just kinda makes you think about it.  It’s hard to please everyone.  I gave my guide $50 and I have no idea if he was pleased or maybe thought I was a jerk.  That’s why I hate tip culture.  I THINK I’d be a fan of no tipping and just pricing and paying the right amount.  But I then wonder how many people would stop eating out of your favorite restaurant had to bump prices across the board by 25% or more to cover employee wage cost in a no tip environment 

[Deleted account]

"Throw in a buck Mr. Pink"...

[TOXIC]

10 hours ago, Cyclones said:

Fishing trip.  And as I said, I enjoyed it, I’d hire him again.  I just struggle with the tip thing.  Wouldn’t even have been an issue if another guide from that same marina hadn’t had the fit over a tip the same day I was out there.  Just kinda makes you think about it.  It’s hard to please everyone.  I gave my guide $50 and I have no idea if he was pleased or maybe thought I was a jerk.  That’s why I hate tip culture.  I THINK I’d be a fan of no tipping and just pricing and paying the right amount.  But I then wonder how many people would stop eating out of your favorite restaurant had to bump prices across the board by 25% or more to cover employee wage cost in a no tip environment 

Honestly, I wasn’t being critical.  I had clients that I could tell were a little “put off” by me just going across the cove so I would run them up the lake.  I also had clients that were thrilled to limit out in a couple of hours and were ready to get off the water.  

[Deleted account]

11 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Honestly, I wasn’t being critical.  I had clients that I could tell were a little “put off” by me just going across the cove so I would run them up the lake.  I also had clients that were thrilled to limit out in a couple of hours and were ready to get off the water.  

Good point, it's all about reading the clients, and like most things, they fall into a few solidly set camps ranging from the "hardcore" that just want to catch fish and that is the be all and end all, to the "family experience" where it's about the vibe of the outing and fish are just a bonus. The hardest one is the "once in a life time experience" cause you have to figure it out quick, and deliver on a knife's edge, not unlike selling bicycles, know your craft, know your customer...

[TOXIC]

2 hours ago, Deleted account said:

Good point, it's all about reading the clients, and like most things, they fall into a few solidly set camps ranging from the "hardcore" that just want to catch fish and that is the be all and end all, to the "family experience" where it's about the vibe of the outing and fish are just a bonus. The hardest one is the "once in a life time experience" cause you have to figure it out quick, and deliver on a knife's edge, not unlike selling bicycles, know your craft, know your customer...

Exactly.  Here’s a rundown of the types of clients I had and I’m sure I missed a few:

1. Those just wanting a fun day on the water.  Low skill level.

2.  More experienced “weekend warrior” who wanted to pattern fish.

3.  Tournament fishermen wanting to get up to speed on lake conditions and areas.  May or may not want to stick fish.

4.  Trophy hunters.

5.  Those wanting to learn boat operation, electronics.  Many times on their boat.

6.  Those wanting to learn how to use a baitcaster.

7.  Those wanting to learn a new technique (dropshot, Senko, etc.)

8.  Those wanting to learn the lake and it’s different areas.

9.  Realtors doing on the water tours of different areas. 
10.  Sponsor required trips. 
11.  Meat fishing trips, Crappie, Panfish, Striper, Wiper but I didn’t do catfish or clean fish.

12.  Gifted trips which then could fall into any of the other categories.  
13.  Group events that may require more than 1 boat.  I have done up to 5:boat events. 
 

And that my friends is why it’s so important to communicate your expectations of a guided fishing trip.